According to the latest Confederation of British Industry (CBI) distributive trades survey, the volume of sales on the UK High Street were lower this month versus a year ago. The figures suggest continue to be cautious about the economic outlook and rein in their spending on the back of rising unemployment, higher inflation and slow [...]
Debenhams, which is Britain’s second largest department store after John Lewis, today brought some much-needed good news to the retail sector after reporting an increase in second half-sales. The retailing giant said sales at stores open more than a year, excluding VAT sales tax, were 1.5% higher in the 17 weeks to June 25. It [...]
British retailing giant Marks & Spencer (M&S) has today reported a 13% rise in annual profits to £714.3 million. Meanwhile, international sales grew 6.1%, while sales in the online operation rose 31%. However, despite the positive figures, the 127-year-old retailer which sells clothes, food and homewares, said the coming year will be challenging due to [...]
Property website, Rightmove, has today reported a rise in asking prices for the month of April – the fourth consecutive month of growth. According to Rightmove, asking prices for residential property in England and Wales grew 0.9% on an annual basis. The property website, which claims to advertise 90% of the properties on the market, [...]
Britain’s largest mutually-owned retailer, the Co-operative Group, has today posted “record” results for the 2010 year. The group said underlying operating profits before significant items surged 48% to £545.7 million compared with £367.9 million the year before. Group sales were 10% higher at £13.7 billion. Earnings at the group have been boosted by its acquisition [...]
Housebuilder Bovis Homes issued a positive statement today after saying 2011 had started well for the company and it will resume dividend payments. According to the company, pre-tax profits for 2010 were £18.5 million – more than double the £7.5 million it reported for the 2009 year. Revenues were up 6% at £298.6 million and [...]
Taylor Wimpey, which was formed by the merger of Taylor Woodrow and George Wimpey, today said it had returned to profitability but remains cautious. The housebuilder, which is the country’s third largest by value, said pre-tax profit before exceptional items came in at £75.1 million for the 2010 year – against a loss of £96.1 [...]
Swiss banking giant has posted its first annual profit since 2006. The bank, which is Switzerland’s largest, has today reported a net profit of SwFr7.2 billion (£4.7 billion) for the 2010 year – this compares with a loss of SwFr2.7 billion in 2009. However, the bank still has a long way to go after full-year [...]
A survey by the Engineering Employers’ Federation (EEF), the manufacturers’ trade body, has revealed manufacturing output continues to operate at record levels, however, they are cautious about next year‘s prospects. The survey revealed a balance of 33% of firms reported an increase in output in the fourth quarter, unchanged from the previous quarter – which [...]
Eurostat has today revealed a rise in euro zone retail sales for the month of October, after two months of declines. Retail sales grew 0.5% in October on the month and were 1.8% higher on an annual basis, according to the European statistics office. The increase also beat analysts’ expectations of a 0.2% rise. Europe’s [...]
Influential think tank, the National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR), is urging the Bank of England to be cautious when considering its next move for the UK economy. Speculation is mounting that the Bank of England will pump a further £50 billion into the economy next month via its quantitative easing (QE) programme. [...]
British retailing giant, Marks and Spencer (M&S), has today reported a rise in UK like-for-like sales of 5.3% in the 13 weeks to October 2. Furthermore, the 126-year-old retailer which sells clothes, food and homewares, said total sales across the group grew by 6.5%, with international sales 6.2% higher. Chief executive, Marc Bolland who joined [...]
Supermarket giant Asda has today announced like-for-like sales (excluding fuel) declined by 0.4% in the second quarter. The fall was attributed to the tough austerity measures introduced by the Government, which has hit consumers, according to Asda. “Asda’s customers are facing recently announced tax increases and cuts in Government spending,” it said in a statement. [...]
Despite the doom and gloom surrounding the housing market currently, there is some positive news from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). According to the CML, 52,000 new loans were granted to home buyers in June – 19% higher than in May and up 14% on June 2009. CML economist Paul Samter points out that [...]
Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell has today announced second quarter profits almost doubled after completing its restructuring programme ahead of schedule. Shell posted profits of $4.5 billion (£2.9 billion) – a rise of 94% on the $2.3 billion reported a year ago. The Anglo-Dutch firm, which is Britain’s second largest oil company, has undergone a [...]
Figures today revealed South Korea’s economy grew by 1.5% in the second quarter compared with the first quarter – much faster than economists had expected. On an annual basis, the economy expanded by 7.2% and, according to the central bank, growth has returned to the pre-crisis level. According to economists, the level of growth could [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today announced a rise in UK retail sales for the month of June – exceeding market forecasts. According to the ONS, the value of UK retail sales grew 0.7% in June compared with May, boosted by sales of electrical goods, such as televisions for the World Cup. Excluding [...]
M&S Money launches 3% cash ISA
M&S Money has launched an Advantage Cash ISA paying 3 per cent, and which allows transfers in from other ISAs. It can be opened with a minimum deposit of £100 lump sum followed by minimum monthly deposits of £25. The 3% rate is variable, but there is no short-term bonus so the return won’t plummet [...]
Google suspends UK Compare Mortgages site
Google has closed its UK mortgage comparison site which it launched in July last year, after it proved to be less popular than expected. Mortgage comparison sites are designed to allow visitors to compare mortgages quickly and easily without having to visit each lender’s individual site. Google was competing with several well-established comparison sites, including [...]
AA launches ‘black-box’ policy for young drivers
The AA is launching an innovative car insurance policy called Drivesafe which could help younger drivers save up to £850 a year. Younger drivers already pay substantially higher premiums than other motorists and these costs are increasing. A new study by Confused.com suggests insurance costs for younger driver have gone up by 5.7 per cent [...]
ATOL scheme updated to protect online bookers
ATOL, a financial protection scheme managed by the Civil Aviation Authority, is being extended to protect up to six million more holidays a year. The scheme ensures that holiday makers do not lose out financially if a travel company collapses, and that they are not stranded abroad. An increase in the number of holidays booked [...]
Home repossessions lowest for four years
The number of UK homes repossessed fell to 36,200 in 2011, significantly below the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ forecast of 40,000, and lower than 2010 when 37,100 homes were repossessed. With interest rates remaining low and lenders adopting a sympathetic attitude to customers in financial difficulty, repossessions fell to their lowest level since 2007. However, [...]
Monthly pay lasting just 17 days
Workers are running out of money just 17 days after receiving their monthly pay, according to new research by the Halifax bank. This means that the average UK worker spends half the month worrying about money. The study, based on the responses of more than 2,000 adults, found that 10 per cent of workers start [...]
Women disadvantaged by auto-enrolment changes
Government proposals to increase the auto-enrolment threshold to £10,000 could put 1.8 million women at risk of missing out on a pension, the TUC has warned. Under the auto-enrolment scheme, which will be phased in from October, private sector employers will automatically enrol workers between the age of 22 years and the state pension age, [...]
Emergency household repairs company Homeserve is taking longer than expected to get back on track after its operations were suspended last October. The company expected customer numbers to fall by 5% this year but it has increased this estimate to 8% and announced the loss of 200 jobs. It estimates that renewal revenue in 2013 [...]
Sale rumoured for Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks
There is growing speculation that National Australia Bank (NAB) may sell Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank after the Australian parent company announced a strategic review of the two banks’ operations. The Australian economy is performing well and NAB reported strong profits for the final quarter of 2011 but with the UK economy at a virtual [...]
More women experiencing debt difficulties
Women in Debt, which offers female-focused debt advice, has warned that the number of UK women facing serious debt has grown significantly over recent years. The organisation believes that more women will need advice on solving debt problems in the future because they are building up an unsustainable level of indebtedness. Women in Debt’s director, [...]
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